Posts Tagged ‘Church’

Everyone has the need to be needed. Everyone has the desire to be wanted by others. Everyone has the compulsion to be appreciated and significant. That is human nature, and don’t say that it is necessarily wrong, or bad. However it is when it gets a certain point I begin to wonder why we are the way that we are. Being significant is a tricky thing, why is a person significant and not another? Albert Einstein, Napelon Bonaparte, Kurt Vonnegut, or Samuel Clemons. All of these men are significant. But many of us, dare say it a majority of us, will never reach the significance of these individuals; myself included. What makes these individuals significant? Is it something that I can take and learn from them to apply to my own life? Perhaps. There are things that I can learn from them that could help me be a better person. But being significant? I don’t know that is something that I think that we have to value on a more individual basis. If I don’t like to write stories about the Mississippi River then I can not be as significant as Mr. Clemons. If I do not want to conquer a large land mass then I can not be as significant as Mr. Bonaparte. If I don’t like scientific theory then I can not be as significant as Mr. Einstein. It I didn’t enjoy creating science fiction stories then I can not be as significant as Mr.Vonegut. So how can I be significant? Perhaps I can be as significant as I can be. But who am I? That is something that each one of us has to answer for ourselves. Each one of us is different, each one of us is significant for who we are. Some of us are fathers, some of us are brothers, some of us are sons. But not all of us are sons, not all of us are brothers, not all of us our fathers. The difficult thing about determining our significance is that it is as addictive as tobacco, and that is from personal experience. Valuing your significance is very often can begin by being big battle with pride, envy, jealousy or any other host of green eyed monsters. Your own significance is never an issue until you start looking around at other people. The moment that you look at others and start comparing yourself to others is when your significance becomes a problem. To everyone living in the state of Ohio I am completely insignificant. I am nothing. But to everyone who lives in my house. Who works in my office or for my company. To those who I serve with at my church. To them I am not inisignificant, I am valued. But why is it in human nature that no matter how many good things we have in life we always look at the others that we don’t have. Everyone wants to be significant, but when it matters when don’t pay attention to the ones that we are significant to already. We focus more on the things that others are valued for and ignore the those that already value us as important.

Batman, Superman, Spiderman, Wonder Woman, etc. etc, etc. There are hundreds of super heroes. Each one of them is unique in what they can do and why and how they help the world around them. Why do we love super heroes because we all want to be the one that swoops in with that special ability, the cool one liner and saves the day. But have you ever noticed how superheroes always have a price to pay for that? They have to loose the girl, keep the secret identity, live a solitutude life.

We all want the flash of being the hero. The one wearing the mask and the cape. The one that has the awesome power or ability, the one that has all the cool tools and toys. But you know what is really being a hero? Making a decision to do what is right, being there for your family, being the one that lifts someone else up to the forefront when they do something great. That takes more courage and strength than even superman had.

Don’t desire to be batman, be a man of character. A man of value. A man of purpose. A man of honor. In today’s world. And stay true to those words when the world comes to do battle with you. These are the heroes. Why not desire to be a hero?

I attended a small group leaders meeting this morning at my church. While we were there one of the things that we were talking about was growth. And of course we began to talk about reaching out to the lost in the community around us. As a part of that conversation the question was posed to the thirty or so small group leaders who were present, if they knew lost people in their life. And predominatly everyone raised their hand as we all know someone who does not know Jesus as their Savior. But as I thought more and more about the question I began to think that I really don’t know anyone who is lost. I am aware of lost people, or I might associate with them, but I don’t know any lost people in my life.

In case you missed it I am making a jump off the work to know someone. There are people in my life that I know, or aware of, but I have not invested much time in their lives. I have not invested the time to get to know them. I do not avoid them becuase they are lost, but for much more ridiuculous reasons. Because we don’t have the same interstes, or we are of different age groups, or a host of other reasons. But as I thought more and more about this question I began to think more about this.

If I am truly about the kingdom then those in my life who do not know Christ are the people that I need to invest in. These are the people that I need to get to know. They may never come to know the Lord as their Savior, but the likelihood that they will never feel, witness, or know the Love of Jesus if I don’t show them is a distinict possibility.

So if someone asks you if you know someone who doesn’t know the Lord, stop and give that some thought. Think about how much time you spend with the lost, and then look at how much time Jesus spent with the lost.

You ever have those things happen to you, that you thought never would? For whatever reason you just thought that would never happen to you, despite how much you wanted it to. Well one of those things happened to me Sunday. I have the oppurtunity and the blessing to be called and ordained as a Deacon by First Baptist of Columbia.

It is a position of servanthood that I hold in high regard, and take with the utmost of sincerity. It is an oppurtunity to serve my God, my church, and my brothers and sisters. As a young man I watched my father become and serve as a deacon. But it was one of those things that you thought would never happen to me because only happens to those who are adults, and mature and are a part of the church. Never thought I would be adult enough to become a deacon. But somewhere along the line I grew up.

I look forward to the next years of service, and am extremely thankful that I was able to have my loving wife at my side when ordained and my daughter watching in the audience. I know that she is only three years old and doesn’t really understand what happended. But one day she will say that she was there when her daddy was ordained. I was also very thankful to have the oppurtunity to have Pastor Rick Blevins be the pastor who prayed over me. He is a man that I have a high respect for and am very thankful for the opprutnity to serve along side him in this new fashion. God is GOOD!